Cons

Bottom Line

Razer is known for gaming, including some very capable gaming headsets. The wired Razer Kraken Tournament Edition packs THX simulated surround sound, a 5.1-channel USB audio adapter, and dual 50mm drivers into a very comfortable design for just $99.99. It isn't the fanciest headset out there, but it hits a sweet spot that delivers a solid feel, strong performance, and lots of features for a reasonable price.

Design

The Kraken Tournament Edition doesn't steer away from Razer's signature chunky, circular look for gaming headsets. It's a solidly built over-ear pair of headphones, available in all black or green with black accents. The earcups have large, round plastic shells ringed with solid metal to which they attach to the metal headband. The headband is fairly flexible and adjustable with firm click-stops, and the metal rings allow limited vertical pivoting for each earcup to enable a comfortable fit.

The earpads are generously large to avoid putting any pressure on the ears, and feature a compelling combination of materials. They use memory foam with a cooling gel layer to help prevent the headset from getting too warm after long periods of use, and are covered with faux leather on the outside and inside rings and breathable fabric on the surface on which the pads meet your face. It makes for a surprisingly light and comfortable fit, considering the bulky design.

The headset on its own is wired and fairly simple, connecting to any device with a headphone jack with a four-pole 3.5mm connector. It has no on-earcup controls or lights, only a boom microphone on a flexible metal arm that retracts into the left earcup when not in use. The relatively short three-foot cable is permanently attached to the headset, and wrapped in braided black fabric. An inline remote with a volume wheel and mic mute switch sits a third of the way down the cable.

Connection Options

A three-foot cable works fine for systems like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One S, where the controllers have built-in headset jacks, and the Nintendo Switch in portable mode (which also has a headset jack), but it's pretty short for PC gaming. That's where the other half of the Kraken Tournament Edition, the USB cable, comes into play.

It's a much longer (five-foot) fabric-covered cable with a USB plug on one end and an audio control box on the other. The box is a small, flat, 3.4-inch black plastic container with large Volume Up, Volume Down, and Mic Mute buttons on the top. A jog dial for adjusting bass sits on the left side of the box, and a jog dial for adjusting game/voice mix and a button for toggling THX Spatial Audio fit on the right side. A 3.5mm audio jack on the front of the box connects to the headset.

Between the 3.5mm connector and the additional USB cable, the Kraken Tournament Edition can work with any game system, computer, or mobile device with a headphone jack.

Microphone

The microphone sounds very good, though it could benefit from a pop filter. Test recordings sounded clear and crisp, with a bit of sibilance in my voice. I slipped a foam pop filter I had lying around over the microphone, and it cut down sibiliance considerably. The microphone is perfectly fine for voice chat even without a filter, but if you want to stream or record podcasts, you might want to invest in a bit of fluff for the tip.

Music Performance

As is fairly typical of gaming headphones, the Kraken Tournament Edition sounds bass-heavy and powerful. It handled our bass test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout," at maximum (and unsafe) volume without a hint of distortion, sounding pretty head-rattling in the process. The low frequencies stand in the forefront of this track, and the synth notes and chanting settle in the background, sounding slightly muddy.

This comes through in Yes' "Roundabout," as well. The electric bass sounds full and deep, but the acoustic guitar plucks in the opening lack much string texture or higher frequency finesse. The snares and vocals also rest a bit in the background of the busy mix, while the bass stays the most prominent part of the song.

Game Performance

I used the Kraken Tournament Edition to play some Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout mode. I was dropped into a squad of four players whose voices I could easily hear over the in-game chat. The microphone let my squadmates also hear me clearly.

The headset's THX audio processing translated the sounds of combat into admirable simulated surround. While stereo drivers can't accurately indicate if an audio source is in front of or behind the listener, the processing enables very accurate lateral imaging. I could pinpoint when gunfire was in the distance in front of me or behind me, or far off to the right or left. The imaging helped me determine when we came under fire while in a vehicle, with the report of guns clearly coming from both sides as we were ambushed.

The action sounded very punchy and powerful. Gunshots and explosions had plenty of low-end force thanks to the headset's bass-heavy signature. It didn't feel muffled or muddy, though, and other sounds like the crunch of the ground under my feet and the rumble of the vehicle came through. I could also discern slight differences between the sounds of different guns. It's very solid, immersive audio performance that works well for competitive shooters and battle royale games.

Capable and Powerful for the Price

The Razer Kraken Tournament Edition is a very capable $100 wired gaming headset. It's large, comfortable, and has powerful 50mm drivers that provide plenty of bass. It also works with almost any game system as a 3.5mm wired headset and provides very solid THX simulated surround sound with its included USB adapter cable for PCs. The adjustable bass is a nice touch, even if it doesn't improve the headset's slightly underwhelming performance in the highs.

The Turtle Beach Elite Atlas feels slightly more luxurious, but its audio tuning sounds less balanced. If you'd like to save a bit of money on your wired headset, the Astro Gaming A10 is still a strong recommendation at $60. And if you really want to splurge on the best audio quality possible, with even more bells and whistles like 3D audio with head tracking, the Audeze Mobius stands as one of the best gaming headsets you can get, though with a whopping $400 price it's also one of the most expensive.

About the Author

Will Greenwald has been covering consumer technology for a decade, and has served on the editorial staffs of CNET.com, Sound & Vision, and Maximum PC. His work and analysis has been seen in GamePro, Tested.com, Geek.com, and several other publications. He currently covers consumer electronics in the PC Labs as the in-house home entertainment expert, reviewing TVs, media hubs, speakers, headphones, and gaming accessories. Will is also an ISF Level II-certified TV calibrator, which ensures the thoroughness and accuracy of all PCMag TV reviews. See Full Bio